Lift-off: The explosive rise of the solo restart lift in sevens rugby

If you like rugby and use social media, you will almost certainly have seen a player being hoisted above a teammate’s head as they attempt to catch a ball from a kick off.

Throughout my career, the single player lift was one of my favourite skills, but this season particularly, it has taken the world by storm. 

The HSBC SVNS Series Instagram page has no fewer than 25 reels highlighting the skill over the last six months. Combined, they’ve amassed a staggering 108 million views and 140,000 likes. 

The most viewed reel, that shows a side profile of Argentina’s men practicing the lift in slow-motion before the tournament in Vancouver, has gone ultra-viral with 46 million views at the time of writing. 

But what is the skill used for, and why are people obsessed with it on social media?

The skill is almost solely seen in SVNS and was invented due to the reduced number of players on the field compared to 15-a-side rugby. It is used by the team that is receiving the kick off as a way to gain height over the chasing team and regain the ball. 

Kick offs are king in sevens rugby, as whoever scores restarts the game with another kick off (the reverse is true in 15s). So, if you can continue to win them back, you can control the ball and therefore the scoreboard. 

It is no coincidence that teams that win the most kick-offs sit further up the HSBC SVNS standings. 

The lift is an acrobatic display requiring coordination between the lifter and jumper with an emphasis on timing, grip and balance. For the lift to be executed effectively and safely, both players also need to show incredible levels of strength and dexterity. 

I really enjoyed learning the skill as there was great crossover from the Olympic lifts that we would perform in the gym. 

Traditionally, the lifter would be pre-bound to the jumper by holding onto their shorts, and both would manoeuvre into position ready for the catch. But in recent seasons, we have seen the skill evolve into the two players being split. 

This evolution has happened due to the ability of kickers to drop the ball wherever they wish across the ten-metre line, making it easier for the chaser to compete for the ball. By being detached from each other, the jumper and lifter can cover more distance quickly and effectively, so they can position themselves earlier, re-grip and get up for the ball. 

It is a tricky skill to master, and players will often have their favourite combinations of lifter and jumper with whom they have built a strong bond over hours of practice each week. 

Almost every session that I now coach in a school, club or university, I will get asked to teach them how to perform the lift. As the social media numbers show, even people outside of the rugby public are enthralled by the skill. 

I believe there are lots of reasons why this is the case. Starting with the fact it looks mad.

Having grown up in rugby all my life, the idea of seeing a scrum or a lineout seems very normal to me, until I speak to someone seeing it for the first time. Look in the comments of any content next time you see one of these skills and there will be a handful of people trying to work out what on earth is going on. 

Secondly, it adds a level of danger. It’s very easy for someone to see the jumper dangling above the lifter’s head and imagine all the ways that it could go wrong. When you go to the circus, you don’t want the tightrope walker to fall, but you do wonder what would happen if they did. 

Some of the most viral clips of the single player lifts show the almost catastrophic moment the jumper tips backwards over the lifter’s head, who manages to save them through sheer grit and strength. This trust between teammates is something that captivates people.  

Thirdly, most people have been thrown in the air by their parents as children on holiday while in the sea or pool. So, I think it’s easy for people to understand that it’s an incredible display of functional strength but also not too incredible that they couldn’t attempt it themselves. I also believe people often try to imagine being in the jumper’s boots and wonder what it feels like to be lifted. 

As someone who did both the jumping and lifting in my career, I can tell you that after the initial controlled explosion to get into the air, there is a brief second of near weightlessness where you get a split second to hope that you calculated the trajectory of the ball correctly. 

You aim to catch the ball above and behind your head, so you never know if you’ve timed it right until the ball hits your hands. There’s also no worse feeling than going up and the ball landing a metre or two behind you. 

Lastly, the skill happens multiple times in a game due to the increased regularity of kick offs in sevens. While the ball is in the air, the anticipation of the contest between chaser and lifting pod can be felt throughout the stadium. A solid catch at the top of the lift while the catcher is outstretched always pulls a huge cheer from the crowd. Between the kick off and the pod catch, I believe they showcase the high skill levels needed to play at the elite level.

I’m excited to see how the skill evolves over the next decade, but if you want to see it in action, then tune in for the World Championships at the Los Angeles SVNS this weekend, where there are bound to be a viral catch or two.